Roman Polanski Highest-Paid Director in the World

  • By Carol Kearney
  • Paris
  • Last updated on

Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid directors” released on Thursday.

It's been a rough year for the director, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 92-year-old Roman Polanski has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid directors for 2026 with an estimated $75 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 27/02/2026 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Roman Polanski tops annual list of highest-paid directors

In 2023 it looked like the director’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Thursday (February 26) that Polanski is the highest-paid director in the world, pulling in an astonishing $75 million between January 2025 and January 2026, a nearly $40 million lead over his closest competition.

People With Money’s factors

In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

The French director has an estimated net worth of $215 million. He owes his fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. He also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Polanski Burger” chain) in Paris, a Football Team (the “Paris Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderpolanski - France), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Roman) and a fashion line called “Roman Polanski Seduction”.

The ranking is significant for many Roman fans, who have been waiting for his triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime.

© 2026 MediaMass All rights reserved. Do not reproduce (even with permission).

Roman Polanski: Recent News

 

page served in 0.035s (1,3)